This is a long post and despite trying to condense it, I've decided to keep it as it is for my blog.
In my opinion it's the more interesting and worthwhile version than the edited one on Facebook. It started by trying to write an overview about myself so that potential clients would have more insight into who they were inviting into their organisation. So it's a post about me, how I've arrived at this point in my career, and a personal note of gratitude to the people that made it happen. As it happens, today is my birthday and a good time to share my reflections with clients.
Arriving in NZ at the age of 22 it was time to find a job. Peter Gates gave me an opportunity at his successful optical business in Newmarket and taught me the ropes about what customer service really looked like. Two years later I gratefully accepted another position at a pharmaceutical company by a chap called Norman Eckhoff and the appointment was approved by the MD, Tom Hart. Bless these men who thought attitude and motivation were worth more than a degree. After a year as a sales rep, David Taylor took me on as a marketing assistant and under his guidance and the rigour of working in the pharma industry, taught me the foundations of business planning. Four years later Mark O’Brien took me on as a sales & marketing manager and it was a privilege to manage a fabulous team under his lead. An engagement, a marriage, two children, and several promotions later it was time to leave AstraZeneca and begin a new career.
The great thing about redundancy is that it forces your hand. Once you’re reassured that financially things will work out, you can take the opportunity to start fresh. A clean slate. A new future to create. After a few years testing my skills in a variety of other pharma companies it was time to see if they were cross transferable. Thank you Richard Griffiths for the L&D opportunities at the ASB and Sovereign. What a delight you were to work with.
Anne Poole (note, the first women of influence in my career – ladies, we need to work on this!) took me on at Counties Manukau DHB as a L&D Consultant and it was superb to get an insight into the inner workings of the hospital system having worked in it as an outsider for 12 years. I left Counties to work from home and avoid the cost of doggy-daycare and the damage at home caused by our border collie pup, Coda.
In 2009 binspired was established. Ingrid Brodie and Jo Hyland included me as a consultant on their training team at ProFormance giving me exposure to many more industries and business issues. I will be forever grateful for their confidence, trust, and care.
Over the last couple of years my work has been with Opus, Ultimate Care Group, Counties, Waitemata DHB and the EMA. Vanessa Green (EMA) has been a strong advocate and has allowed me to design and facilitate programmes for many of her diverse clients. Other than being an ultimate professional, she’s hilarious and a delight to nut things out with.
What I’ve learnt over the years you can find out for yourself from my website. It’s a culmination of my studies and experience – all shaped by the opportunities given to me by the wonderful people mentioned, and many more. In the same way that others have shaped my career, my job is to help shape yours.